Al-I'jaaz al-Ilmee in the Prophetic Sunnah

[Abu.Iyaad]

The Shaykh (hafidhahullaah) explains the following: The experimental knowledge (al-ilm al-tajreebi) is not the knowledge mentioned in the Sharee'ah texts, since that knowledge is what relates to knowing the rullings of the acts of worship (ibaadaat) and interactions (mu'aamalaat), a Muslim needs to learn them in order to fufil his worship in the most perfect manner, and the source of which is the Qur'an and Sunnah. Hence, the experimental knowledge is not one that depends on returningto the texts (nusoos) and to foundations (usool). The Sharee'ah knowledge is fard ayn (a individual obligation). The experimental knowledge is fard kifaayah (a collective obligation), and it enters into the meaning of the verse (8:60). The experimental knowledge is imperfect, it is not able to give a comprehensive, complete, exhaustive, definitive explanation. It is connected only to the outward and apparentness (of things), not with their inner realities. It gives the answer to "how" and not the answer to "what" and "why". This is the knowledge Allaah described in the verse, "They know the apparent (things) of the life of the world and they are heedless of the Hereafter" (30:7). This type of knowledge, by its very nature and the investigative methodologies associated with it is always subject to presumptions and interpretations, and there is not any particular precise methodology of investigating it. As a person proceeds in this experimental knowledge he is not certain as to what direction to go in precisely (in other words there is a lot of speculation, and assumption). As for medicine (tibb), then it is from this type of experimental knowledge, and it relates to the preservation of good health and the removal of an occurring illness. The intent then behind al-i'jaaz al-ilmee wal-tibbee (wondrous nature of the mention of knowledge and medicine) in the Prophetic Sunnah is: That which has come in the Prophetic Ahaadeeth which comprise aayaat (signs) and dalaa'il (indications, evidences) that are an evidence (collectively) for the Prophet's (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) truthfulness in his (claim) to Prophethood from the angle of what they contain of reports of unseen matters which relate to the experimental and medicinal knowledge and which indicate the precedence of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) in making indication of them and in which a person at that particular time would have been unable to have knowledge of them - rather some of which have not been uncovered until now, and some of which have not been uncovered at all. A general point that when we look at this subject matter we see that when such types of reports are mentioned (concerning such knowledge), they are generally mentioned incidentally, and not intended directly. To illustrate, the hadeeth in which the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) ordered the washing of utensils which have been licked by a dog, that they be washed seven times, the first with sand or dust and the rest with water, the Messenger did not say, "Verily, there is in the saliva of a dog that which cannot be removed except with sand, dust." Rather, the Messenger explained a Sharee'ah ruling and how to remove impurity of the licking of the dog of a utensil. Examples of such ahaadeeth that relate to this topic include: The hadeeth, "The last hour will not be established until ...the land of the Arabs (the peninsula) once more returns with (green) pastures and rivers", the hadeeth of washing the utensils licked by a dog seven times, the first with sand, dust, the ahaadeeth relating to the siwaak, its virtues and encouragement to use it, the hadeeth of the number of joints in offspring of Aadam (360 mafsils), the hadeeth "The hour will not be established until a fire emerges from the Hijaaz which (is so great that it will) illuminate the necks of camels in Basrah", the ahaadeeth reported about honey (in preventative and curative medicine), and the ahaadeeth pertaining to hijaamah. The aspects from which these types of matters are from al-i'jaaz al-ilmee include: a) that they are (in many cases) reports about unknown, unseen matters which the knowledge of man cannot reach, b) that the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) is unlettered (ummiyy), he is not able to know any of these affairs except through transmission from others, and that is if others knew these matters prior to him, see (29:48) and (16:103), and c) that arriving at conclusions through experimental knowledge requires a great amount of time and effort, and resources (such as laboratories), yet this Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) was in their midst, was never out of their sight, so from where did he get all these instances of knowledge.